Coal-cutting chain.



R. L'I-EETOR. COAL CUTTING CHAIN}. APPLICATION FILED MAR-.19. I915.

Patented May 2,

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. COAL CUTTING CHAEN.

APPLlCATlON FHJED MAR-19,1915. mmwa, Patented May 2,1916.

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Ji-mvae g/As Patented May 2, 1916.

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Wren srarns Parr-liter RALPH :r. TEETOR, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'ro LINK-BELT COMPANY,

' or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION on ILLINOIS.

COAL-CUTTING CHAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, ltlllt'l.

Application filed March 19, 1915. Serial No. 15,659

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH J. Tinrron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coal-Cub ting Chains, of which the following. is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in coal cutting chains.

It refers mosts 'iecifically to the cutting portion of the chain.

()ne object of my invention is to provide a chain which will be more durable and easily adjusted andjwhich will cut in a more satisfactory manner.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification.

It is illustrated more or less diagrammatically .in the accompanying drawings, wherein I Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a coal cuttingmachine for the pin-pose of illustrating the operating of the chain; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the chain itself on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a section on the line I-33 of Fig. l on an enlarged scale; Fig. =1- is a side elevation of the chain; Fig. 5 is a median section through the central cutter and link shown in Fig. l; Fig.1; is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a plan view; Fig. 8 a side elevation and Fig. 9 an end elevation respectively of the link shown at the extreme right-hand end of Fig. 4.

Like parts are indicated by like letters throughout the several figures.

In order to make clear the purpose and operation of my invention, 1 have illus trated the chain diagranunatically in its relation with the coal cutting machine.

1 is a rectangular supporting frame. It

carries at one end the housing 2 in which is locate lany suitable motor and driving mechanism. e

3 is an A-fra1ne suspended on the frame 1. ThisA-fran'ic has its apex imn'iediately beneath the motor so that the drive wheel not here shown which drives the chain may be located at the apex of the A frame: At the two other corners of this frame are located thesprockets 45 and 5 to guide the chain. This A-fraine carrIes a Tgrooved bracket 6 which 1s formed with a removable cover 7 to guide the chain as it travels. This chain travel.

is made up of a series of solid or substantially solid filler lug blocks 8 tied together on either side by substantially flat links 9, 9. These links 9, 9 have flanges 10, 10 which project into the sides of the T slot to hold the chain in the track so that'a's the chain travels the blocks are dragged in this track, being loosely guided and held so that the links,, particularly the lug block links which carry the lugs arc frcc to move about within certain limits within the slot as they Projecting upwardly from each of the filler or lug blocks in the chain is a hollow slotted lug and while the chain or ten sion part of each lug block or link is exactly the same as all the rest, it must be observed that this hollow lug or cuttcr box is different. For il'istance, as shown in Fig. '2, there are seven different lugs; one is located in the same plane the link; three are located in inclincd planesto one side and three in inclined planes. to the other side. The chain is made up of alternate series of link blocks. 'lhc'se lugs or boxes themselves are each exactly the same as the other in so far as each block by itself is concerned but their relation with the link is dillcrent in' that they are inclined on different angles and my invention has to do with the shape and arrangement of these lugs or boxes with respect to the link or lug blocks and the process whereby such arrangement is dc tcrmined and effected. 1

Referring, to Figs. 4, 5 and (3, it will be noted that the lug, or box 11 is hollow and is made upof two parallel side walls tied together at the rear by the block 12 in which is screw-thrcaded a set screw 13. This set screw has its axis parallel with the axis of the 'link itself. The side walls are tied together also by the heavy boss or block 15)" having: a toothed or serrated inner surface 14. The box, or 1 tncr the slot contained within it formed by the blocks and side walls is open on both sides, that is to say, above and below the heavy boss or block so that the boss or block forms with the side walls a kind of loop .or stirrup in which the cutter bar 15 having 'itssides corrugated to engage the corrugations '14, is supported and held. This cutter has the sharpened cutting edge ll; upwardly and forwardly projecting above and in front of the chain itself. 17 is a wedge slidal'ily mounted on the floor 18 of the slot or hollow portion ot the her; and having a smooth in-' 20 which. is engaged by the cup at the end of the set screw. it lmn'eover has a central aperture or slot 21 through which passes a pin 22 which" pin is tiXed at either end in the walls of the box or lug andv while it leaves the wedge tree to more hack and forth prevents its rcmoval from the link. 23 is an aperture extending clear through the side walls of the lug adjacent the hottonr of the groove or slot therein tor the purpose of making it easier to clear the space behind the wedge from any accumulation of dir t which might make it dillieult to withdraw the wedge to release the cutter.

Referring now to Fig. (i, we note that the lower portion of the lug block is more or less open or hollowed out as indicated in thesection and it is apertured at either end to contain the sleeve 21- which projects inwardly from the link 9 and a. pin which projects inwardly through the sleeve 2i from the link 9. This pin 25"is centrally countersunk zs indicated atQT so that the pin 25 may he upset or headed out flush. with the outer sin-lace ot the link 9 whereby the chain may he held together. without any projecting parts whiel would int ari'ere with its passage tl'u'ou h the slot on the frame. 7

One important teature ot' my process of manufacturing and the product resulting: therefrom is that although the position ot the cutting edge of each. cutter in a group or series of seven isdiftercut from the posi tion of any other, .itill the lug hlock, the cutter and wedge and the hollow or has portion of the lug is exactly the same in every case, the only dillm'ence heinp that the position of the hollow ho); portion. wedge and cutter with respect tothe lug )lock is different, and it will. he necessary for me to provide merely diii'erent connecting memhers or portions interposed hetween the hollow portion of the live and the link ldock so that dilllerent positions ol cutter and holding means may result. In considering the layout of this chain or link block. .l have regaigleddt as l -ginp; in a vertical plane and have treated-the parts accordingly. so it will he understood that the chain itself in actual practice might assume any desired position and he located in any desired plane.

Beferrinc now to l ip 5, it. will he noted that the chain hloek or link and all the other parts are shown in section. (6 is an arhitrary point locating the cutting; edge at the central double ended hit, and this point is exactly the same distance above the horizontal plane before each and every bit, no matter what its inclination. I have illustrated it as being li g above the chain, but

7 it might be any arbitrarily selected distance.

The point e is located. also on the axis of the cutting hit. is the same exactly 1,11 each and eyery link arrangement. The point 5 is another arbitrarily selected point. It is located in F1 plane built upon the line ac as,its hypotenuse. In Fig. .5 it will he observed that the plane -Zc is a vertical plane, and it is the axialv plane of the link 8, the lug or hox 11, the boss or block 13 and the block 12, togetl'ier with the cutting hit. In other words. all these parts are as shown in the plan view in Fig. d is a point arbitrarily selected. in the plane ab-c, and it is always in that plane no matter what the inelination thereof. This point (X is located on the line c-divhich is theaxial line of the set screw 23, and that set screw and its axial line always in a horizontal plane 6, always equally distant from the horizontal plane in which the point (1 is located. The plane g7--Ii--jlr. bounding as it does the rear side of the block 12. is always perpendicular to the line c-d. and is therefore always a vertical plane. IirFig. 5 it will he ohserved that the line f-(Z coincides With the line c-d. In Figs. 7, S, and 9 it does not, and the angle f-(!c is for each case the angle through which the lug or block 12 and set screw 13 must he revolved about the point (Z in the plane (z-Z)c, in order that the line 1/. namely, the center ine of the set screw may always be located in the same horizontal plane.

llaving now laid out the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 if 0i the central cutting memher. it becomes possible to lay out the remaining cutting inelnhers inclined as they are to the central memhe and changed in position as their simporting means are so that their cutting edges shall all he in the same horizontal plane. For the purpose of illustrating the way in which this is done, I shall follow through a process of laying; out the linkhlcck and cutter shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2, and for the sake of convenience. in Fig. t I have omitted the two intermediate blocks between it and the central cutter. I have made a corresponding omission won the other side of the central cutter.

The cutters act as picks and as they cutalong they tear loose :t'ragments of material. In order, however, to insure that the t '1 It is arbitrarily selected, and

'C inents the entire face at the cuts shall be dislodged it is desirable to group the cutters so that the summation of the cuts or dislodgment of each cutter in the group will. produce the total width of the cut desired. Of course the wider the cuts the more outters and while'at one place no one cutter is sure of. cutting exactly its share still the summation throu hout the entire length of the cut is perfectly satisfactory.

In laying out any of the remaining six after the first has been selected, We first decide upon a position 'for the point a which may be either in the same horizontaliplane as thepoint a in Fig. 5 or in any other plane containing that point or in any othersuitable position depending on the kind of cut, shape or contour of the surface to be thereby produced. The point a is, of course,-always fixed, and his gives us the base linea0 upon which the center or axis of the cutter must rest. Referring, then to the Figs. 7 8

and 9, we see that the line ac is inclined from the vertical axial line in which it was in Fig. 5. I have shown it off-set 23; from the axial vertical plane mw, and it is also i 4% from the plane g/y. The line a-c being now fixed arid since the points 0 and b are in all cases equidistant thus fixing the line 0 and b, it is possible to fix the point I) because that point must be kept in the vertical plane in which the point 0 is located and which passes through the center of the link block, and it therefore raises up sufii-' ciently to bring it as it moves in that plane to such a position that it is still the same distance from the points 0 and a and thus we have a right angle triangle whose hypotenuse is the line a-o whpsc base 7) -0 is lo- "ated in the plane a:-a:. The point (Z since it is always in the plane ccd in the same position with respect to the points (0-C--/), of course, moved upwardly and outwardly; the line ecl is always in a horizontal plane and thus it moves up enough to follow' the point (1. It will be noted, however, that the line (i-(Z is now inclined to the plane fE- I and is a fixed line. lVith this line fixed it becomes easy to locate the ])lt1110- (/]L-jl which is perpendicular to thc line e-cZ and which bounds one side of the block 12. The plane .ac-b the axial plane in which the parts 13, 14, 11 and 12 are all fixed but these parts are rocked in two directions and as it is necessary to have them lie in this plane and have them fixed and located by the line (t(: it is evident that there is a gap between these pa rl's and the link block itself taken as a unit and therefore all that is necessary is to [ill in his gap, the necessary straight lines and curves being perfectly obvious to anyone skilled in the art. The same process might be carried out for mch and every link block, lug box, layout and the distance which the point of the cutter is removed from the central line is, of course,

' in the manne easily determined and upon it dep ,nds all the other positions.

Under some circumstances it becomes desirablc tohave the bottom of the out are or curved shape instead oi flat and in this case a curve is drawn about the axis line ?)-0 as shown in Fig. 5 of the proper curvature and the cutting points are set down sufficient toanake them correspond with this 1 curve in the usual manner. This, of course,

are located becomes a curved surface but it is the bounding or fixed curved suri'i'acc and the cutter points may be located within in exactly the same way as it it were a plane. It will be understood that the line o a is substantially parallel with the bottom or path of the wedge though it might be inclined slightly as I have shown by any suitable angle. This is of no particular consequence. Of course this inclination to the line b-c is the same for all positions of that'linc. The line of: the set screw changes with respect to that line since it remains in a horizontal plane whereas the line /-a remains in a vertical plane and so the two lines in the offset positions are not in parallelism since the wedge conforms generally to the shape of the path and it is obvious that the inclination of the set screw to the back side oi the wedge varies and for this purpose the boss 20 is provided. It will be observed that this prevents binding or straining of the parts.

The use and operation of my invention are as followsz--lach link blocl; laid out iously specified so that the cutting edge or point oi the cutter carried by it will lie in the proper position to do its share ol? the work. The cores and their parts are the same in each case and thus each link block maybe cast in the usual nianner without dilficulty or complication.

ate place. The chain is then mounted on the cutting machine and coal is cut by it in the usual manner. W hen it becomes necessary to remove any or all of the cutting blades owing to their having worn down or when it is desired to have them taken out, it is necessary only to release the set screw, move the wedge back until the corrugations on the cutter disengage ll'OlIl the corrugations on the block a ml the cutter can then be positioned by the operator and held by the hand ol the operator in position until.

the wedge can be returned toloclt the parts in position. 'lhe result o the above entitled process-1s therefore, that l obtain a chain which is made up of a series of identical links carrying a series of identical. boxes, the rigid connection between the blocks and links being variable to give the different positions of the cutting teeth.

It will be noted that the hollow cutter lug or box on the link forms in effect a stirrup in which the cutter is held being wedged or clamped therein by the wedge which wedge locks the cutter against the back wall of the stirrup to hold it in position.

l claim:

1. In a coal cutting chain a link, a stirrup carried thereby and. projecting to one side thereof, a cutter extending through the stirrup and means carried by the link for clamping the cutter. in position in the stir-l rup. said means comprising a lug projectin; from the link behind the'stirrup, a set screw screw-threzuled therein, a wedge slidable along the wall of the link in opposition to the cutter adapted to be in operative engagement on the opposed side of the set screw.

In a coal cutting chain a link, a stirrup carried thereby and projecting to one side thereof, a cutter extending through the stirrup and means carried by the link for clamping the cutter in position in the stirrup, said means comprising a lug projecting from the link behind the stirrup, a set screw screw-threaded therein. a wedge slidable along the all of the link in opposition to the cutter adapted to be in operative engagement on. the opposed side of the set screw' and means for holding said wedge loosely in position in the stirrup in the end of the set screw cutter.

3. In a coal cutting chain a link, a hollow pocket containing box projectingtherefrom, one wall of said pocket being sharply in elined to theaxis of the chain, a cutter contained within said box in engagement with said inclined wall. the end of the cutter projecting beyond said wall, a wedge contained within said pocket in opposition to the cutter and a set screw screw-threaded in one wall of the pocket engaging said wedge in opposition to the cutter.

at. In a coal cutting chain a link, a hollow pocket containing box pro ecting therefrom, one wall of said pocket being sharply inclined. to the axis of the chain, a cutter contained Within saidfloox in engagement with said inclined fall, the end of the cutter projecting beyond said wall, a wedge contained within said pocket in opposition to the. cutter and a set screw screw-threaded in .one wall oi. the pocket engaging said wedge in opposition to the cutter, means for loosely holding the wedge in the pocket independent of its relation with the'set screw and the cutter.

.ln :1 coal cutting chain a link, a hollow a side wall slightly inclined to the axis of.

the chain, a stirrup carried by the link 0verlying said side wall, the cutter contained within said stirrup, a. wedge slidable along the inclined wall in opposition to the cutter, a curved boss on the back of the wedge, a

lug projecting from the'link, a set screw serew-threaded 111 the lug having a cut end o1 substantially the same radius of curvature as the boss andin engagement with the boss. I

In testimony whereof, I 'a'l'iix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this sixth day oi March, 1915. v

RALPH J. TEETOR. Witnesses ALBERT G. HA N,

T. H. Hamnnnovn. 

